| Black-billed Cuckoo Identification Tips |
| (Credit: U. S. Geological Survey) |
| General
Information - Sexes similar - Slender, long-tailed bird - Black bill Adult - Red orbital ring - Cold brown head, nape, back, upperwings, and uppertail - White chin, foreneck, breast and belly - Tail is gray below with very narrow white tips to tail feathers Juvenile - Yellow orbital ring - Brown head, nape, back, upperwings and uppertail, with pale tips to wing coverts - White chin, foreneck, breast and belly suffused with pale buff - Tail is gray below with very narrow buff tips to tail feathers Similar species Adult Yellow-billed Cuckoo has yellow-based bill and cinnamon primaries in all plumages, and larger white tail spots below. Juvenile Yellow-billed Cuckoos can be black-billed and can have small tail spots and are best identified by primary pattern. Mangrove Cuckoo has yellow-based bill, black mask, buff breast and larger white tail spots below. |
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